Water-tower and extension-ladder.



Patented Oct. 24, I899. W. BARNARD.

WATER TOWER AND EXTENSION LADDER.

(Application filed July 24, 1899.)

1/LU VMVNVMWV 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 635,639. Patented Oct. 24, I899. W. BARNABD. WATER TOWERAND EXTENSION LADDER.

(Applicgtiop filed July 24, 1899.) (No Model) 3 Sheets8heel 1'.

3 w m, w

M k IHQW,

l vent .dttorn 251.

THE mums PETERS co. wnuro-uma. wAsmna'ron. a c.

No. 835,639. Patented on. 24, I899.

w. BABNARD. WATER TOWER AND EXTENSION LADDER.

(Application filed July 24, 1899.) ,(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

wltnesses. 4

Inventor.

C% By /a/ww/wf Attorney.

5 a. 7 MAW,

m: NORRIS PETERS 60., momuTHo" wnsumu'ron. n. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

WILLIAM BARNARD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

WATER-TOWER AND EXTENSION=LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,639, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed July 24, 1899. Serial No. 724,881. (No model.)

T on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BARNARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Towers and ExtensionLadders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved ladder and truck therefor especially adapted for fireservice; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple,portable,and easily-elevated ladder.

It also relates to certain details of construction, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the truck and ladder in its lowered position. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged top plan view of the ladder-supporting frame and its operating mechanism, the ladder being removed. Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal section on or about line a a, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of the ladder and its supporting-frame with the ladder in its elevated position.

In referring to the drawings for the details of construction like numerals designate like parts.

The truck 1 is provided with axles 2, upon which the wheels 3 are journaled, and the vehicle-body or ladder-supporting frame is mounted upon the truck. This frame is formed of two side bars or pieces 4, which extend substantially parallel with each other ranged substantially as shown in the drawings and rigidly secured together by the transverse rungs 11 and the diagonally-extending brace-rods 12. is pivoted to the upwardly-extending standard 13 of the ladder-platform by the pivotal pin 14.

The ladder-supporting frame is braced or strengthened on each side by the plates or boards 15, which depend beneath the frame from the lower end of the vertical bars 16. Supplementary braces 17 extend diagonally outwardly and upwardly from these plates or boards to the frame and render the connection more rigid. These plates or boards 15 also serve as platforms to support small ladders and other articles and as seats for the firemen within easy distance of the ground.

A starting device for lifting the ladder at the beginning of its upward movement is located at the rear of the supporting-frame and consists of a frame-like structure 18, having a lifting portion 19, supported thereon in diagonal slideways 20. The frame-like structure also serves to brace and strengthen the rear of the supporting-frame and as an intermediate support for the-ladder in its lowered position. (See Fig. 1.)

The ladder is elevated by means of ropes or flexible cables.

The cable or rope 21, which I term the supplementary cable or rope, for operating the starting device has one end looped around or is otherwise secured to the lower portion of the lifting device and extends upward over a pulley 22, supported in the top part of the frame 18, and then downward over the pulley 23, and finally forward into connection with the pulley 24. (See Fig. 4.)

The main cable or rope is attached at one end to a pulley 26, which is attached to the ladder-platform 9 and extends rearwardly over one of the rollers in the pulley 24, which is a double pulley, then forwardly over the pulley 26, from there rearwardly again over the other roller in the pulley 24, then forwardly over one roller of the double pulley 27, attached to the forward cross-bar 5, then rearwardly over the pulley 28, attached to a sliding brace-support .29, which will be more specifically described farther on, again forwardly over the remaining roller of the double pulley 27, then rearwardly over the pulley 30, attached to an intermediate brace or bar 31 The lower end of the ladder of the ladder-supporting frame, and finally forward beyond the truck.

The sliding brace-support 29 is mounted in the longitudinal slots 32 in the side pieces at, which form slideways, (see Figs. 1 and 5,) and lower rods 33 are pivoted at their lower ends to the ends of said support, and their upper ends are pivotally connected to the lower extremes of the main brace-rods 34. The upper ends of the main brace-rods are pivoted to the ladder at or about the point 35. Supplementary rods 36 are pivoted at their rear ends to the ladder-supporting frame and at their forward ends to the pivotal connection with the lower rods 33 and main rods 34 at their pivotal juncture.

To provide means for reaching the windows of stories lower than the upper part of the main ladder or to one side of the main ladder, a supplementary ladder 38 is pivoted at its lower end to the main ladder and is adapted to have its upper end moved toward or from the main ladder by means of the controlling rope or cable 39, which extends to the ground.

To provide means for supporting the truck in an upright position, wings 40 are pivoted to the truck and are adapted to be swung outwardly therefrom, substantially as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and have legs which are dropped against the ground.

The operation of elevating the ladder is as follows: Horses or other power being connected to the forward end of the main rope or cable 25, it is drawn forward, first bringing its several portions taut around the various pulleys, then moving the pulley 24 forward and with it the supplementary rope or cable 21, and drawing the lifting device 19 upward in its slideways 20, thereby elevating the forward end of the ladder sufficiently to bring the system of pivotal brace-rods off of the center. The forward movement of the rope or cable 25 continuing, the ladder-platform 9 is moved rearwardly in its slideways and the sliding brace-support 29 is moved forward in its slideways 32, bringing the ladder into the position shown in Fig. 5.

To lower the ladder, the rope or cable 25 is slowly moved backward, allowing the ladder to gradually resume its lower position, as shown in Fig. 1.

I claim as my invention- 1. An improved ladder and truck therefor, comprising a truck having two sets of slideways,a ladder-platform supported and traveling in one of said sets of slideways, a rodsupport mounted and traveling in the other sets of slideways, a ladder pivoted to the ladder-platform, a system of brace-rods joined to each other at one end by a common pivot and pivoted at their opposite ends to the ladder, the truck and the rod-support respectively, and an operating rope or cable connected by pulleys to the rod-support and the ladderplatform, as set forth.

2. An improved ladder and truck therefor, comprising a truck having two sets of slideways, aladder-platform supported and traveling in one of said sets of slideways, a rodsupport mounted and traveling in the other sets of slideways, a ladder pivoted to the ladder-platform, a system of brace-rods joined to each other at one end by a common pivot and pivoted at their opposite ends to the ladder, the truck and the rod-support respectively, a starting device for partially raising the lad der at the beginning of its elevating movement and an operating rope or cable connected by pulleys to the starting device, the rod-support and the ladder-platform, as set forth.

3. An improved ladder and truck therefor, comprising a truck having two sets of slideways, a ladder-platform supported and traveling in one of said sets of slideways, a rodsupport mounted and traveling in the other sets of slideways, a ladder pivoted to theladder-platform, a system of brace-rods joined to each other at one end by a common pivot and pivoted at their opposite ends to the ladder, the truck and the rod-support respectively, a starting device composed of a frame mounted upon the rear of the truck and having diagonal slideways and a lifting-piece supported in said slideways, a series of pulleys, a supplementary rope or cable connected at one end to the lifting-piece and extending upwardly over one of said pulleys attached to the starting device, then downwardly over another of said pulleys attached to the truck and forwardly into connection with another of said pulleys, and a main rope or cable fastened at one end tonne of said pulleys connected to the ladder-platform extending backward and forward over pulleys connected to .the truck, the ladder-platform, the rod-support and the pulley connected to the supplementary rope or cable and adapted to raise the liftingpiece, draw the ladder-platform backward, the rod-support forward and elevate the ladder and its connecting brace-rods, as set forth.

4. The combination with a main ladder, of a supplementary ladder pivoted at its lower end to the main ladder and a controlling rope or cable attached to the supplementary ladder and extending to the ground for moving the supplementary ladder toward or from the main ladder, as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 19th day of July, A. D. 1899.

W ILLIAM BARNARD.

In presence of L. M. BILLINGS, JAMES MARTIN. 

